Becoming Flynn
by Morralls
Summary: The personal journal of Eugene Fitzherbert, orphan, as he grows into Flynn Rider, thief.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Eugene might not do backstories, but they're MY specialty. So this is the story of an orphaned boy, a book series, and a collection of journal entries. Each chapter of the story is a year of Eugene's life, beginning on his birthday. Reviews are always greatly appreciated.**

April 14,  
>They told me today that I don't have parents. Orphans don't have moms and dads, is what they said. And then they hit me. I'm glad that Miss Sarah was nearby, because I was starting to really hurt, but I didn't want to cry in front of them. Men don't cry. Miss Sarah patched me up, cause I was bleeding. She told me that the palace boys were right, kinda.<br>She said that orphans don't used to have moms and dads, but they died like the orphanage dog, Tucker. She said that's why we live in an orphanage. But I can have a mom and a dad if I get adopted.  
>Then, to cheer me up, she gave me this journal for my birthday and read me a book. I don't usually like books, but this one was SOOOO GOOOOOD! It was about Flynnegan Rider, who is the richest man in the whole world. He goes on big adventures and saves people from the bad guys.<br>When I grow up, I want to be like Flynn Rider. Miss Sarah says that I'm only eight and I have to get a lot older before I can do that.

June 23,  
>Curse it all to hell,, I wish I wasn't so little! (That's something that James said he heard Miss Minnie says. Curse it all to hell. I wish I knew what that meant, but I got switched when I asked. They told me it was a bad word and to never say it again.)<br>It's those stupid palace boys again. Jerome, Alan, and Daniel. They're only just servants, but they think they're better than me because their parents are alive. I never asked me mom and dad to die! Curse it all to hell.  
>If I was tall and strong like Flynn Rider, I could have taken them with my rapier and quick wits, just like he does. I'm getting really sick of getting beat up.<p>

July 1,  
>ADOPTION DAY! This is the first year that I get to go. The Sevens and younger are too little to understand, so they don't get to go, except for special reasons. That's what Miss Sarah said. But I'm an Eight now, so I get to go. I really really really really really really want to get adopted, but I don't think I will, because my front teeth are gone. Miss Sarah says that they're making room for my grown up teeth, and that it happens to everyone, but now my smile is ugly. Who is going to want a son with an ugly smile? Maybe if I don't smile at anyone who wants to talk about me, they won't know that it's ugly, so maybe that's what I'll do.<br>But Miss Sarah read me a new Flynn Rider book to calm me down. We have two of them now!  
>I can hear Miss Minnie calling for the Eights and up to get ready, cause we have to go. Really hope I get adopted.<p>

July 2,  
>I didn't want to write yesterday. I didn't get adopted. I don't want to write today either.<p>

August 26,  
>A new boy came to the orphanage today. He's an Eight too, with black hair and brown eyes, and he's kinda chubby. He cried through morning lessons, and when lunchtime came, I gave him my cupcake because he was so sad and because cupcakes always make me feel better. He said that his parents were dead now, from a fire, so now he's an orphan too. His name is Peter, and he's really nice. He's sharing a room with me, so now Miss Sarah says that he's my brother! All my other brothers had to get moved from my room because they all wanted to fight me, and I was so little that I never won and got beat up. Peter doesn't want to fight me. I hope he gets happy again soon, because he's too nice to be so sad.<p>

November 11,  
>I haven't wrote anything for a long time. Peter is really my brother now. We were both switched last week cause we tried to start a fire in the yard. But Peter is scared of fire and Miss Sarah says that the only way to stop being scared of something is to face it.<br>But he's weird. He says that he doesn't want to be adopted, because they won't be his parents. I tried to tell him that the whole point of adoption was to get parents, but he didn't get it. I got switched again because I made him cry, and then AGAIN because I said that I didn't mean to and Miss Annie told me not to talk back.  
>When I got back to my room, Peter wasn't crying anymore, and he told me that if he got adopted, they wouldn't be his parents that died, so they could never be his real mom and dad. I told him that I didn't know my real mom and dad, and so it could never really matter to me, and I didn't see why a mom and dad who adopted you were any different from your real mom and dad.<br>Peter told me that it was about love. He said that your real mom and dada would love you more than parents who adopted you.  
>Everyone talks about love, even Flynn Rider, but I don't really get it. Peter says that love is like when you're sick and your mom stays home from work to take care of you, even though she needs money, and goodnight kisses and telling you that she's proud of you when you bring home good marks from school.<br>I started crying then, because I want a mom and dad who love me as Peter's parents loved him. And then Peter started crying because I was crying, and because his mom and dad aren't around to love him anymore. Miss Sarah read us a Flynn Rider book to cheer us up.  
>Peter wants to be like Flynn now too.<p>

December 25,  
>Peter was telling me about what Christmas was like for his family. He said that they had a beautiful tree, and when he woke on Christmas morning, presents filled the floor beneath it, all brand new. And his family would have hot chocolate and open presents, then have a big feast in celebration. We get a present too, when we're little. The Tens and up don't, so I only have two years left. But our present is usually something used, and something we need. This year though, I got two presents, though only one was 'official.' Misses Minnie and Annie gave me a blanket, cause mine 'had been patched too many times to serve its purpose.'<br>Miss Sarah though, she gave me a Flynn Rider book all on my own. It's old and the pages are stained, but it's all mine, and I can read it any time I like. She says I need glasses though, because I hold the book too close to my face. Still, it was the best Christmas I ever had.

January 7,  
>I don't know why I decided to write tonight. I was cleaning day, and my arms ache from scrubbing. The King and Queen are coming to visit on Friday. Miss Sarah says that the Princess was lost a year ago, and they need to have an heir, so they're thinking of adopting a child. The idea of that is amazing to me. That one of us might become a prince or princess. But it's sad, too, because if the princess is still alive, she's being replaced, and if she's not, Their Majesties probably feel like Peter does. Still, I like the idea of being a prince. I hope they pick me.<p>

January 10,  
>The King and Queen were very nice. They took a long time and spoke to all of us alone. I was so nervous waiting my turn that my hands were sweaty. I hoped they didn't want to shake my hand. No one wants a sweaty son any more than they want one with an ugly smile. I still hoped they'd pick me.<br>Finally, it was my turn. The King and Queen were sitting at the table, looking very royal. I bowed, just like Misses Minnie and Annie showed us.  
>"So, your name is Eugene?" The Queen asked me. I bowed again.<br>"Yes, Your Majesty."  
>"You don't have to bow every time we speak, Eugene. Just the first time was enough." That was the King.<br>"Sorry, Your Majesty."  
>The King smiled at me. "Why don't you have a seat?" I sat.<br>"So, Eugene. How do you like the orphanage?" I hesitated, not wanting to say the wrong thing. "It's okay, dear. You can speak freely to us." The Queen assured me.  
>"I don't like it." I said. "I don't like being an orphan, cause the other kids are mean to me."<br>"Are they?"  
>I nodded. "They say that my parents never wanted me, so I got sent here. There's no record of my mom being dead."<br>"From what I can see, there's no record of your mother at all." The King said, flipping through my papers.  
>"So I'll never know who she is?" I asked.<br>"And that makes you sad?"  
>"I hoped that my mom would be alive and come get me."<br>The Queen smiled. "You don't want to be here, do you?"  
>"Misses Sarah and Minnie and Annie are nice, if you don't break the rules, but my friend Peter knew his parents, and he told me about love. I want a mom and dad to love me, too." I admitted. "And I'm scared that no one will ever want me because I'm so little and I cry sometimes and I have sweaty hands and an ugly smile cause my grown up teeth are so big and my other ones are so little, and-"<br>"Eugene! I don't want to hear you talk like that again." The Queen sounded angry. "Who told you those things?"  
>"No one, Your Majesty. They're just true."<br>"They are not. You're a very nice boy, and you'll grow into a very handsome young man,. You remember that."  
>"Really?"<br>"Really." The Queen nodded.  
>"Are you well clothed here, Eugene? Well fed and cared for?" The King asked.<br>"Yes, Your Majesty. I don't go hungry, though some of the kids who eat a lot get hungrier than I do. I have clothes, but I don't have any shoes."  
>The King and Queen looked at each other, and I added quickly, "But I don't need shoes. Some of the Thirteens and up have shoes cause they work or go out a lot, but I'm okay barefooted. Miss Sarah says I need glasses, though."<br>"Calm down, Eugene. We're not angry." The Queen promised.  
>"It's just that I don't want anyone in trouble. They take care of us, but they don't have a lot of money cause we live off donations, and Miss Sarah says that we don't get a lot." I explained. "Most of our money goes to food, I think, and so we get hand-me-down clothes. I wanted to dress nice to meet you, and this is the finest I have."<br>They both smiled. "You look very nice, Eugene."  
>I made a face. "Miss Minnie says I need a haircut."<br>The King chuckled. "So you do. Thank you for speaking with us, Eugene. It has been... enlightening."  
>I didn't know what 'enlightening' meant, but I knew that my meeting was over, so I stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesties."<p>

January 30,  
>Miss Sarah came up to me today and hugged me so tight that I thought my eyeballs would pop out. "Eugene, I don't know what you said to Their Majesties, but thank you!"<br>Apparently, the King and Queen donated to the orphanage to 'get Eugene some glasses and get them all some shoes and anything else the children might need.'  
>Misses Minnie and Annie thanked me too, and we had a feast tonight.<br>None of us got adopted, but I felt like a prince anyway.

**A/N: So, I hope you liked it. Review, I beg of you. It's supposed to be written from an eight year old's point of you, so he's not particularly literate yet. The idea is that as he gets older, he'll write more properly. **


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I'm working on two stories at once, though I'm only posting this one right now. The other one is a little bit of insight into Eugene's punishment for all his thefts. I'm trying to just write that one and not post it just yet, because then one of my stories will get neglected, which makes for sad reviewers. :( Anyway, on to the fic! Insert disclaimer here.

April 14,

I turned nine today. Usually, you'd expect that to be the highlight of your day, but for me, it wasn't. I can only admit it in here. I did something bad today. Something really bad.

I got to go into town today, all by myself for the very first time. I was looking around. "Window shopping" is what Miss Sarah calls it. I saw a satchel that would be perfect for this book and my Flynn Rider book and any of my other stuff. I didn't have any pocket money, so I just took it. I stole it.

I was hiding in an alleyway with it when someone found me. It wasn't a guard though. It was a girl. "Nice lift. You've got natural talent, Kiddo."

"What? What are you talking about?" I had no idea what a lift was, and I didn't like the idea of her talking to me. "Who are you?"

"I go by Gypsy." She said, sitting on a crate.

"Oh. My name's-"

"Hush! I don't need to know your name. I don't _want_ to know your name." She interrupted/."That's not important. You'll make a good addition to the Rogue, with some training. Now come on. Your lift has been discovered. We gotta go before the guards show up." Gypsy grabbed my hand and pulled me through a maze of alleyways to a dilapidated (that's one of my vocabulary words. The other one is 'nuance'.) building on the edge of the city.

It was a one story thing, run down and abandoned looking, with boarded up windows and a roof that was missing several tiles. "What's a lift?" I asked, finally having gathered the courage to do it.

"When you steal something, it's called a lift." Gypsy explained to me, pushing open the door. It was a lot bigger inside than it had looked, and we were in a long hallway, with doors off to either side.

"Where do those lead?"

"Private lodgings. They're for Rogue kids who live here."

"What's this Rogue you keep talking about?"

"The Rogue is like… a society. But it's for thieves. Kids like you who are making their way in life. We steal what we need to get by." Gypsy replied, leading me into the main room. A group of kids were lounging around the room, on couches and pillows and chairs.

"Hey Gyps, who's your tag along?"

"Where'd you find him?'

"New recruits, huh? I haven't seen anyone worth bringing in…'

They were all talking at once, about me. I wasn't sure I liked the attention.

"Settle down, Children. Settle down. Where's Prince? " Gypsy wasn't as old as some of them, but she was obviously a leader. "Range? You know."

"I think he's out on a run. It's lunchtime." 'Range' looked like he was in his late teens, a man more than a boy. He was in a chair near a door, looking completely comfortable, like he had been here for years.

Gypsy shrugged. "He'll be sorry he missed this one. Lifted that satchel right out from under Thompson's nose, then strolled away with it, cool as can be."

'Range' looked at me. "That your first lift, Kid?"

I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded.

"Well, Range?" Another boy asked, this one only a few years older than me.

"The kid's telling the truth." Range said. He walked over to me. "They call me Ranger, Kiddo. You've got potential, if Gypsy is telling the truth."

"I want him to meet Prince."

"Want who to meet me?" I turned to see the speaker, a really tall teenager, smiling expectantly. He had brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and ice blue eyes.

"Prince, I watched this kid steal that satchel right out from under Thompson's nose. Walked right off with it on his very first time."

Prince whistled. "That's quite a lift, Kiddo. I think I'd be mad not to offer you a place in my humble court."

"You want to teach me to be a thief?"

Prince grinned. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to go where you want? Do what you want? Have anything you want?"

I grinned. I could be just like Flynn Rider! "Yes. I want to learn."

Prince slapped me on the back, like a friend. "There are only two rules: Ten percent of everything you lift goes to me, and we don't know each other's real names. So, who do you want to be?"

I didn't hesitate. "Flynn Rider."

My training begins tomorrow, with Gypsy and Ranger. I can't wait.

April 15,

I am WORN OUT! Gypsy and Ranger taught me today that the first rule of being a thief is getting back to your headquarters without being followed. They taught me all the different ways to get through the city to Base and how to 'spot a tail.' So I would lead Gypsy to Base using different routes, and I had to point Ranger out when I first saw him tailing me, and then I had to lose him.

Every time I got to base, Ranger showed up. Then, I would lead Ranger away from Base, and have to dodge Gypsy.

I didn't manage to lose either of them even once. Gypsy and Ranger said that I did well, though, so I will have to be happy with that. At least I never got lost. They said that _everyone_ gets lost, but I never did.

I don't get to learn how to pick pockets until I can spot a tail, and then _lose _it, so tomorrow is the same deal.

April 21,

I met Ranger in the town square today. "Where's Gypsy?"

"She's got her own stuff to take care of." Ranger said. "You're just working with me today. Lead the way."

I didn't have to ask where we were going, so I started off Ranger walking beside me.

We moved through the alleyways, and when we were in silence, I faltered, just for a second, and heard footsteps that weren't mine. I glanced into a window and spotted my tail. "I thought you said that she wan't gonna be here today?" I asked, before I took off, dodging down a side street and slipping under a gate that had enough room for me under it. Ranger vaulted over the gate behind me, and then he was beside me, running where I was sprinting.

I ducked down another street and spoke. "Go left and circle. Meet me here." I tore off down the right, guessing that Gypsy would follow me because I was littler and slower than Ranger. I ran through a maze of passages, trying to lose my tail.

Finally, I saw a collection of boxes and ducked behind them. There was enough room between them for a little guy like me, so I hid deeper in my spot, ready for my tail to lose me for the first time.

She ducked into the alleyway a moment later, then gave the area a cursory glance, checking quickly behind the boxes without seeing me wedged in the shadows. When she left my alley, I waited for a few minutes to make sure she was really gone before going back to my meeting place.

Ranger was eating an apple when I got there, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. "Did you lose her?"

"I think so."

Ranger stood up. "Good. Now that you've lost a tail, we need to teach you how to keep them lost. If we get back to Base without Gyps catching us, you start the next part of your training."

So I led him back to the Rogue, watching for a tail every step of the way.

Gypsy was sitting on the stoop of the Rogue when we got there, smiling. "You know, Flynn, no one has ever done that in less than a month. You lost me in six days."

I don't know whether to be proud of myself or them for teaching me. "Thanks, Gypsy."

Ranger put a hand on my shoulder. "The hard part starts tomorrow. Every day now, we're going to run before training."

"Why?"

"Because you need to stay fit. If you can't run for a long time, you'll get caught." Gypsy explained. "And what's the first rule of the Rogue?"

"Don't get caught."

May 7,

I feel worse than I ever have in my life. Running is hard work, and I do it a lot. My legs feel like jelly right now, and I wobble whenever I stand up. Ranger and Gypsy don't slow down for me, and we only stop running when they decide.

I'm more fit than I've ever been before, though I dread running tomorrow.

June 1,

I met a lot of couples today. I even spoke to a few of them. I didn't get adopted.

Tomorrow, Ranger is going to teach me how to pick a target and what to look for. I can't wait.

August 9,

Gyps told me today that I've finished my training. She said that I've learned everything I can, and I'll only get better now through practice.

Prince pulled me aside to talk today. "Rider! Come have a chat!" Prince is the only one who doesn't call me Flynn. He calls me Rider unless he's really serious.

"What'd you need, Prince?" I asked, letting his put his arm across my shoulders. He led me into the meeting room and sat down on the couch.

"You have a place in the Rogue now, Flynn." With that word, I knew that Prince was serious. "And that means that you're one of us. We look out for ourselves, and more importantly, we look out for _each other_. So when you see one of us in trouble, you have to do anything you can to help."

"I can do that."

"But you have to understand that the Rogue is like anything else. There's a certain level of deference that you need to have, for those who are better than you, and especially for me. Three years ago, someone else was called Prince. The Rogue is like the court, and everyone calls me Prince because that's what I am. We'll look after you, Flynn, but you have to be loyal to the Rogue, loyal to _me_."

I could do that. "I am loyal to the Rogue, Prince. And to you." I assured him. He ruffled my hair.

"I know you are, Rider. I just want to make sure you stay that way."

I _will_ be loyal, to Prince and to the Rogue. I'll also prove myself to be the best thief that the Rogue has ever seen.

October 18,

Thirty five copper nobles, seventeen silver nobles, and three gold nobles. Prince will be pleased.

November 3,

Gyps tailed me this morning on my way to the Rogue. I noticed her in the square, when I stopped to filch some bread for breakfast. So I filched her a piece too and gave it to her so she would walk with me instead of tailing me.

"Hi Gyps."

"Hey Flynn. Nice lift there."

I snorted. "Bread isn't exactly hard to get. Bates doesn't have time to notice between all his customers, and you know it." I was starting to learn the names of all the merchants in the square, and who was the easiest to score from. Bates is one of the best bakers in the market, and one of the easiest targets. "Did you hear that Dice led the guards on a run again?"

Gyps laughed. Dice was one of the Rogue's fastest. He likes to pull off really obvious lifts and lead the palace guard all over the city. "Yeah. That's why Prince called the meeting, I think. They almost caught him."

"_Dice?_" Dice doesn't get caught. Not even almost caught.

"Yeah. Prince will explain at Base."

That's one of the best things about Gyps. She knows _everything_, but she lets Prince tell us the important stuff. She put an arm around my shoulders and threw Jewel out of her chair so I could have it.

Even though I'm not the youngest kid in the Rogue, I'm the littlest, and all the older ones treat me like a kid brother. For the most part, I'm okay with that, 'cause it's kinda like having a family.

Gyps and I were the last ones to get there, and Prince was on his throne, waiting for everyone to settle. (Really, it's not a throne. It's just a squashy armchair, but it's Prince's seat, so we call it a throne.)

When we were all quiet, he started. "Dice has informed me that there has been a change in the Captain of the Guard. Nelson is gone, replaced by a man called… what was it, Dice?"

"Broderick, Prince." Dice said, from where he sat on a cushion on the floor. "Marcus Broderick."

"Broderick is a man to look out for. He's good. _Really_ good. So nobody takes unnecessary risks. Dice tells me that Broderick called him a _Rogue brat_ which means that each of us has to be extra careful. The Rogue has never been a priority of any of the guards before, but if they decide to make it one, it will… complicate things. So as much as we all love toying with the royal guard, we'll have to tread carefully for a while. No big jobs and no cons. Stick to pick pocketing for now."

This was serious. For the palace guard to really take notice of the Rogue was unheard of. Sure, almost all of us had run from them at one point or another, but we had never really been _important_ to catch. The Rogue was like a fly – annoying, but not worth getting worked up over. "Are they gonna come after us, Prince?" I asked.

"I don't know, Rider, but we need to watch our steps. If w convince this Borderick guy that we're not worth the trouble, we might escape notice."

So the Rogue is on lockdown.

January 4,

I can't go to the Rogue today. Sammy came back to the orphanage covered in red spots, and now a bunch of kids are covered too. I have a spot on my cheek, so Miss Sarah says I have it too, and that it's gonna get worse.

Peter told me that it's called 'Chicken Pox' and it's really itchy. He says he had it last year. I'm not excited.

January 7,

-Entire page is covered in angry scribble. Down at the bottom:-

I HATE THE CHICKEN POX!

January 15,

The worst of the chicken pox is over. Miss Sarah says I'm a trooper. Peter says that I dealt with it better than he did. I'm still covered in red spots, but they're going away.

February 12,

Measuring day! I grew two inches since last year. Miss Minnie says I need new leggings, and she needs to let out my tunic.

Note: I'm still the littlest in the Rogue. Miss Sarah says that my growing spurt will come soon enough. (Everyone says that. I wonder when 'soon enough' will come.)

March 23,

The Rogue is still laying low. I got tailed by a guard today and used my best hiding spot. Not even Gyps or Ranger have figured it out. It's in between those boxes where I first lost Gyps.

Prince isn't happy. He keeps telling us to lay low and wait. He says there's a turning point coming, but he doesn't know what it is. I think he's scared, and that makes me scared, too.

**A/N: So that's chapter two. Now that I've established all my important characters, the plot thickens. Also, yes, his satchel was his first theft, because that's just adorable. And you all know it.**

**I might be able to squeeze in an update by this weekend, but I'm heading out of town for a week after that. On the bright side, I have a notebook and pen and a fourteen hour car ride ahead of me, so I should be able to have another few chapters written upon my return. Review and tell me what you think, or I'll torture kid Eugene. **


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